200 MPG Carb discovered......It's from China

[Evan]

Well, it might not do 200 mpg but I bet it is close. I just bought a pair of moped kits. One is for my wife's bike (which cost me $10 at a yard sale ) and the other is for my hybrid trike project. These kits are amazingly cheap at $145 US and are very well made. They include every single part needed including twist grip throttle and even a couple of maintenance tools such as a sprocket wrench and a sprocket puller for the engine. The engine is a 2 stroke 64.5 cc and is rated at about 1.6 hp. That seems to be a fair rating as it will pull my 200 lb arse up a 13% grade easily.



The one part of the kit that posed a problem of sorts is the chain. It is a super heavy duty #50 and would be much more suited to a 250cc motorcycle. It is also too loose in the links and every link needs to be punched together to reduce the play. Instead I spent another $7 on a #50 bicycle chain which is much more appropriate. I had to machine the thickness of the drive sprocket on the motor and the included tools worked perfectly for removing the sprocket.

This was another test of the cermet insert and it came through without damage. It didn't mind the interrupted cut at all and had no trouble with the hardened sprocket.



The engine is started by popping the clutch after pedaling up to a few mph and takes over immediately. It run very quietly and is pretty smooth for a single cylinder engine. It has a redline of about 6000 rpm but if you take it up there it begins to vibrate like a Norton Atlas with a twisted crank pin.

Up to around 4000 to 5000 rpm it's fine and it lugs way down low really well which surprised me.

This is really a test bed for my trike project and so far it is looking really good.

[Pherdie]

Inspiring, Evan.

You gave me the incentive to go check on moped/scooter prices. Ouch!!

Now your cost factor makes the engine conversion even more inspiring. Just wish the braking was better, but that shouldn't deter you from coming up with a solution!!

Fred

[Evan]

All it needs is a front disc brake. They work 10 times better than the caliper brakes.

[rockrat]

Round here that would be considered a moped and the rider would be required to add a license plate. Are the rules similar up there (cross the border) or are you far enough out that they are sensible enough to understand that there are bigger things to worry about?

rock~

[Evan]

Mopeds don't require any license here. The rules are the same as any unpowered bicycle. It is supposed to be limited to no more than 20 mph and 50cc but I don't know anybody that can actually tell that this one is 64.5cc instead of 50cc. It will do about 25 mph but I have it geared down for the hills with a bigger 48t sprocket. If you put a 40t sprocket on it I understand it will do more like 35 mph but you will have to pedal first before letting out the clutch, a good idea anyway to save wear.

BTW, I do have a plate for it:

[Pherdie]

All it needs is a front disc brake. They work 10 times better than the caliper brakes.

Agreed, just hope the front forks don't fold under the frame.

As a related note, I truly believe we will soon see the creation of a 'carbon footprint' tax/assessment on everything (Flamers note: I am not saying this is right or wrong). It will be a graduated tax based on a 'calculated" carbon expenditure for production and/or usage, to be used for finding/implementing more environmentally conscious projects (and mostly lining the some peoples pockets). Couple that with rising energy costs and your 'moped' will be looking pretty sweet.

Fast forward 20 years and imagine all the 80+ year old baby boomers on mopeds (Help, I've fallen and i can't get up) and the impact on national health care!

Good luck with your project and please keep us posted.

Fred

[Willy]

I've had one for over year now Evan, a nice diversion from the Harley! Actually 30 mph on this thing is actually more exiting than 120 on the hawg.
A lot of idiocyncracies...it ain't no Honda, but nothing one can't tune into.
Yup, illegal as the day is long, but if you fly under the radar out in the boonies and pedal around town it doesn't seem to attract the heat.
Getting pretty good at ghost peddling when I spot the man.
Jeez here I am pushin 60 doing stuff like I was twelve or something.
It doesn't hurt that I live in a rural area...don't think I would last long in a major urban center before I got busted...lots of fun though.

[rockrat]

BTW, I do have a plate for it:

Nice!

Keep us posted.
rock~

[Evan]

Help, I've fallen and i can't get up

That is why I am building a trike as well as the ability to carry more power. Around town I will use only electric although I may add a small sound system with a digital recording of a turbine spooling up...

[Pherdie]

I may add a small sound system with a digital recording of a turbine spooling up..

Remember, loud turbines save lives!

[Ken_Shea]

I'd bet that as long as they don't see tires burning and fish tailing you'd be safe.

Love that plate Evan,
Hard pressed to think of anything around here that is not taxed, however, the finger says it all

[Jim Shaper]

You just need a little camouflage. Remove the tank and replace it with an aluminum kerosene bottle in a regular water bottle holder on the front frame rail (the one my dad has looks like a sports bottle), then get one of those "bag" things for in the V of the frame to cover the sides of the engine. It'd take a pretty keen copper to notice the muffler from a distance. Unless your cops roll with the windows down up there. Ours always have the windows up and the air on.

[barts]

Way back when during the first oil crisis (I was 14 I think) I put a 2 hp Briggs on bike w/ a 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub... went 42 mph in high and would wheelie in first gear. That thing was a blast - small round lawn mower tank hose clamped to the top tube, twist grip throttle and it would just go and go.

The small Honda motors would be a good choice here; something like:

http://www.honda.ca/enginesEng/model...50/default.htm

or even
http://www.honda.ca/enginesEng/model...22/default.htm
http://www.honda.ca/enginesEng/model...31/default.htm

- Bart

[Evan]

I would love a small 4 stroke but they are too expensive to buy new right now. Also, it's very hard to beat the power to weight ratio of a two stroke. This one includes a dry plate clutch and about 8 to 1 helical reduction gearing on roller bearings to the output sprocket.

[dp]

All it needs is a front disc brake. They work 10 times better than the caliper brakes.

They've been known to bend the light weight forks on a bike and heavy spokes are a good idea, too, to keep the wheel from potato chipping. There's been a number of attempts over the years to transfer the hub braking energy to the frame but it's tricky - especially if you have any kind of live suspension on the forks. Anti-dive linkage keeps the forks from bottoming under high brake forces.

The springer forks on my Schwinn beach cruiser are a good example of the wrong way to do it. I have drum brakes from Sturmey-Archer on that bike. The problem of braking (and breaking) may be why Harley is dropping the springer fork from production.